Adjustable guide device for flush tank ball valves



Jan 17, 1950 M. R. GREEN 2,494,655

ADJUSTABLE GUIDE DEVICE FOR FLUSH TANK BALL VALVES Filed Feb. 16, 1949INVENTOR Ml; 70MB. finer/v BY Q-%! ATORNEYS Patented Jan. 17, 1950UNITED STAT-ES ADJUSTABLE GUIDE DEVIGE FOR FLUSH TANK BALL VALVES MiltonR. Green, Norwich, Conn.

Application February 16, 1949, seria1'No-."76,vi7

This invention relates toimprovements in adjustable guides for useinmounting .the tank ballvalvesof water close'tflush tanks and has forits object to provide aguide device which may be quickly and easilyinstalled either as an original piece of equipment or as a replacementpart on any of the conventional flush tank outlet valve assemblies.

The many advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from thefollowing disclosure of an embodiment of this invention as shown by theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 isa view of a tank and an outlet valve assembly therein showingthe guide mounted in position on the overflow pipe;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the guide device as on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the device as clamped on a pipe of smallerdiameter;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of guide arm.

A conventional flush tank I is shown by Fig. 1 with the usual outletvalve assembly mounted therein. Briefly, the valve outlet pipe 2 in thebottom of the tank is provided with a valve seat 3 on which a movabletank ball valve 4 is adapted to rest. The ball 4 has a vertical lowerlift wire 5 attached thereto for lifting the ball oii its seat whenpulled upwardly by an upper lift wire 6 attached to the end of a triplever 1. The tank ball 4 is lowered onto the seat 3 when the supply ofwater is exhausted from the tank chamber.

An overflow pipe 8 of the conventional valve is, as shown, verticallyattached in the tank, the base of the pipe being attached to theassembly adjacent the outlet pipe and leading into the same below valveseat 3.

The tank ball 4 is adapted to be guided in the vertical raising andlowering of the same with respect to the seat 3 by its lift wire 5 whichis held for vertical sliding movement in a guide bracketed to theoverflow pipe 8. The guide as will be understood is for centering theball valve 4 on the seat so that closure of the valve opening iscomplete.

Many forms of guide devices are to be found on the market. Yet, becauseof dimensional variations in the difierent parts of various valveassemblies as made by a great many manufacturers such devices aregenerally adaptable only to one type of installation or to a smallnumber of conventional installations. As an original piece of equipmentfor the valve it is generally satisfactory. However, when one or more ofthe parts 1 Claim. (oi. 4 57) Y of a valve assembly: is replaced theoriginal :guide devicemay-or maynot be adapted for therepaired assembly.And asoften occurs, theball valve will not-seat .properly, thuspermitting water to leak through to the outlet 2. In any such instancewhere the guide is not functioning properly to seat the tank ball theadditional replacement of the guide itself may be necessary.

The guide device of my invention is designed to eliminate the need forreplacement if it is used as original equipment, and, if used as areplacement part, to be adapted for such replacement use where anoverflow pipe of standard size is used.

As shown by the drawings the device is in the form of a collar 9 havingan egg shaped opening with two converging sides as at H) and H. Collar 9flts over the overflow pipe and is received for slidable adjustmentvertically and rotatively on the pipe. In the actual embodiment of thedevice the opening is designed for any size of pipe 8 up to one and aquarter inches diameter, the largest size known to me as used for thispurpose.

Opposite the point of convergence of sides It! and l I a clamp screw I2is threaded in the collar wall, projecting into the opening so as to beturned against the pipe thus fixing the collar securely in position.Thus, as seen best in Fig. 3, at least a three point clamping contact ofthe collar with respect to a pipe 8 is had so as to effectively preventany rocking or swaying of the collar when in clamped position on anysize of pipe.

Opposite said clamp screw a lug I3 is provided on the periphery of thecollar and on the lug is mounted one end of a horizontal arm l4 held forhorizontal pivoting movement as by a retaining screw [5 threaded intothe lug. The screw I5 also serves as a clamping means to hold arm l4fixed in any angular position to which it may be adjusted with respectto the collar 9 and pipe 8. The outer end of the arm, as in Fig. 4, isprovided with a reverse bend to form vertically spaced outer portions inwhich are provided two vertically aligned openings l6 and I1. In saidopenings lift wire 5 is slidably mounted to hold the wire in alignmentwith the axis of the valve outlet opening and thus center the tank ballvalve over the seat 3.

As will be appreciated by consideration of Figs. 2 and 3, the device isadapted for adjustment to register the sleeve guide formed by alignedopenings l 6 and I! in the arm with a lift wire 5 rising vertically atany point adjacent the overflow pipe. While the axis of the overflowpipe 8 is usually on a line parallel to the axis of the valve outletopening, in different assemblies the spacing between the two axis linesmay vary to a considerable extent depending on the particularconstruction. It will be seen that by rotating the collar on the pipeand swinging arm I 4 the openings can be centered at any desired pointand be securely fixed for operation with wire 5. v

The arm 14 may be made from a stamping as shown by Figs. 1 to 4 or itmay be cast or forged. The arm 20 of Fig. 5 shows a cast part and inthis form the outer portion is bifurcated to provide in the spacedportions of the endthe aligned openings 2| and 22.

Having disclosed my invention, I claim:

A tank ball guide device adapted for mounting on the overflow pipe of aflush tank valve the latter being opened and closed by a tank ballhaving a lift wire for vertically raising and lowering the ball adjacentsaid pipe, said device comprising, a collar having anopening'ior'slidable and rotative adjustment of the collar on saidoverflow pipe, said opening having two angular converging sides with aclamp screw threaded in: the collar 4 wall opposite said convergingsides and projecting into the opening in a direction toward said pointof convergence, 3, horizontally disposed arm pivotally mounted at itsinner end on the periphery of the collar for horizontal swingingmovement, said arm at its outer end having a reversely bent portionthereof provided with vertically aligned guide openings to receive saidlift wire for vertical guided movement of said tank ball.

MILTON R. GREEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the .file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

